Skeletal remains discovered in Easton determined to be missing man

The skeletal remains discovered in Easton earlier this month have been positively identified as a young man who went missing from that town in 2021.

According to Gregg Miliote of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, on September 21, 2021, 25-year-old Matthew Yeomans of 113 Summer Street, Easton, MA was reported missing by his grandfather, who told investigators at the time that he had not seen Matthew since September 19, 2021.  Yeomans had a medical condition and was struggling with mental health issues at the time.  When Yeomans was reported missing, the police located his wallet, identification cards and his cell phone inside his residence.  A BOLO was put out for Yeomans and the area around his residence was searched with negative results.

On May 1, 2024, a homeowner a few houses down from Yeomans’s residence discovered what appeared to be a human skull in a brook on his property.  The homeowner called the police who responded.  The following day, a search and rescue team from the Massachusetts State Police, along with members of the Easton Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and METRO LEC responded to the area for another search.  Additional human remains were recovered.  The skull and remains were sent to the Massachusetts Office of Chief Medical Examiner for examination.  The remains were confirmed to be from a human male and additional testing is ongoing.  Yeoman’s dental records were compared to the skull and a positive identification to Yeomans was made. 

Miliote stated that no cause or manner of death is available at this time and there is no threat to the public and the investigation into the death is ongoing.